Israel Arrests Palestinian Journalist after Storming His House in West Bank

Rasha al-Sayeh, Thaher’s wife, told the Middle East Eye that the family woke up to the sounds of military jeeps and then heavy knocks on the doors of nearby houses at 2:00 am on Tuesday, before soldiers arrived at their house and Thaher opened the door.

"The Israeli officer asked (Thaher) if he was ‘the famous journalist’," Sayeh said. "He then requested to search the study and his personal belongings.”

The charges behind Thaher's arrest by Israeli forces had yet to be made public.

Sayeh said the couple's eight-year-old son woke up and was surprised by the Israeli soldiers inside the house who terrified him. “(He was) crying the whole time and demanding the return of his father,” she said.

"This is the first time that Abdelrahman has been arrested (by Israel), he is not engaged in any political activities, and we are unable to guess why he was arrested and prosecuted. Even his journalistic work does not constitute a reason to pursue him," Sayeh added.

The Palestine International Forum for Information and Communication condemned Thaher’s arrest in a statement, adding that more than 20 Palestinian journalists were currently detained by Israel.

“We condemn the arrest of journalists, we affirm the freedom of journalists to do their work and we call on the (Israeli) occupying forces to immediately release Abdelrahman and all fellow journalists,” the statement said.

The film director holds a BA in architecture, yet has long worked in the media and arts field as a journalist and presenter, with programs on channels including the Jordanian Roya TV and local Wattan TV.